Fall prevention equipment

For the best level of protection at your workplace you need both the right procedures and the best fall prevention equipment. At Haz-ed we recognise that every workplace is different, which is why it’s best to tailor the fall prevent equipment to the individual business and the application or the environment it will be used in.

The following covers some of the essentials in fall prevention equipment including harness, lanyard, belt and buckle safety equipment.

HARNESSES

Harnesses are a lifesaver if you or your employees continually or occasionally work at heights. At Haz-ed we recommend a full body harness that’s correctly fitted. Workers should connect the fall-arrest line to the attachment point on their harness that will provide the best protection in the situation it is being used.

To avoid putting yourself in a risky situation we recommend that you inspect your fall prevention equipment prior to every use.

The D-ring bar should be at a 90 degree angle with the long axis of the belt and should pivot freely.

Attachments of buckles and D-rings should be given special attention.

Note any unusual wear, frayed or cut fibers, or distortion of the buckles. Rivets should be tight and unmovable with fingers.

Body side rivet base and outside rivets should be flat against the material.

Bent rivets will fail under stress.

LANYARDS

For those working at great heights safety lanyards are the vital link to the fall protection anchor point. Short sections of webbing or cable are usually attached to the D-ring of a workers safety harness. At Haz-ed we recommend the following:

Ensure a minimum of slack in the fall-arrest lanyard between the user and the attachment. The anchorage point should be as high as the equipment permits.

Avoid work above the anchor point, as this will increase the free fall distance in the event of a fall, resulting in higher forces on the body and greater likelihood of the lanyard snagging on obstructions.

At Haz-ed we believe it’s imperative to inspect the safety of your lanyards.

Begin at one end and work to the opposite end.

Slowly rotate the lanyard so that the entire circumference is checked. Spliced ends require particular attention.

The D-ring bar should be at a 90 degree angle with the long axis of the belt and should pivot freely.

Attachments of buckles and D-rings should be given special attention. Note any unusual wear, frayed or cut fibers, or distortion of the buckles.

Rivets should be tight and unmovable with fingers.

Body side rivet base and outside rivets should be flat against the material.

Bent rivets will fail under stress.

Inspect frayed or broken strands.

Broken webbing strands generally appear as tufts on the webbing surface. Any broken, cut or burnt stitches will be readily seen.

Tongue Buckle: Buckle tongues should be free of distortion in shape and motion. They should overlap the buckle frame and move freely back and forth in their socket. Rollers should turn freely on the frame. Check for distortion or sharp edges.

Friction Buckle: Inspect the buckle for distortion. The outer bar or center bars must be straight. Pay special attention to corners and attachment points of the center bar.